MCP: 97M Installs, Donated to Linux Foundation
activeOrigin: Anthropic / Linux Foundation, March 2026
Model Context Protocol (MCP) — Anthropic's open standard for connecting AI agents to data sources. Hit 97M installs on March 25, 2026. Anthropic, OpenAI, and Block donated MCP to the newly-formed Agentic AI Foundation (Linux Foundation). This is the standardization moment for the agentic layer — like HTTP for the web.
Usage
Use as the 'agentic infrastructure layer became real' marker. MCP going to Linux Foundation = standard protocol for agent-to-data connections.
Mutations & variants
'MCP standard' — shorthand for agent data connection protocol
'The HTTP of agents' — analogy for MCP's role
Shelf life: Active — MCP adoption will be tracked through 2026
The Linux Foundation donation signals OpenAI is also buying in — this is no longer an Anthropic-only standard. Broad industry adoption confirms MCP as infrastructure, not product.